Best way to reheat wings – Your Four Quick and Easy Ways

Don’t you just hate it when you had the perfect wings the night before and you try to eat the leftovers the next day and it just doesn’t taste the same? Wings are the perfect comfort food for me. I have them when I am sad, when I am happy, I practically use any excuse just to have them.

But the thing is, whenever I try to reheat them the next day they just don’t taste the same way anymore. After a ton of trial and error, I found out that the key to reviving your wings to its initial glory is by knowing how to reheat them. Below are four quick and easy ways to reheat your wings.

Reheating using a Microwave Oven

Probably the quickest and easiest way to reheat your wings is by using the good old microwave oven. This method is perfect for those who would want those wings the quickest. It’s also perfect for those early mornings where you need to fix a lunch box for you or your loved ones.

However, cooking with just the microwave would make your wings either soggy or very dry and no one wants that. The solution to this is to cook your wings in an oven after you microwave it.

What you need:

Microwave safe container (preferably something flat)

Paper towels

Microwave

An oven tray

An oven

Step-by-Step Procedure

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2

Place a slightly wet paper towel on your container then, put the wings on top.

Step 3

Cover the chicken wings with another paper towel.

Step 4

Place the container in the microwave. Set it to medium-high or to reheat mode; then, set the timer for 2 minutes.

Step 5

Once the 2 minutes are up, transfer the chicken wings to an oven tray and place it inside the oven.

When the one minute is done, flip the chicken over and cook the other side for one minute again.

Step 8

Take them out of the oven, put them on a plate, and enjoy your wings!

Pan-frying the Wings

For people who are living in small apartments and even students who are in a dorm, ovens might not be available. Sometimes there might not even be a microwave or even if there was there are four or so people in line to use it. Because of this, using a pan for reheating would be more convenient since stoves and even induction stoves are easier to find.

Aside from this, pan frying is a great way to get your the skin of your wings crispy. But of course, pan frying might not be advisable if your wings is coated with a type of sauce like buffalo wings or hot wings.

What you need:

Pan

Oil

Tongs

Cooling rack or Paper towels

Step-by-Step Procedure

Step 1

It is important that you let your wings cool to room temperature before you fry them. Frying them straight from the refrigerator would actually affect the temperature of your oil and would lead you to having unevenly crispy chicken.

Step 2

Once the wings are almost cooled, you can start preheating the pan. It is is best to put it at high temperature to really get that crispiness.

Step 3

Add enough oil to cover the wings in the pan. I prefer to use Canola Oil for this but you may use other types of oil as long as it a high smoke point; since these produce the best results. For the pan, it is better to use the bigger ones so you can get enough oil inside without fear of it spilling over.

Step 4

When the oil is hot enough (before it starts smoking), you can add the wings.

Step 5

Generally, it is best to cook the wings for 2-3 minutes but the cooking time really depends on the type of pan and oil you are using and it also depends on the wings itself. Make sure that while you are frying that you turn the chicken over a couple of times to make sure that it would be cooked properly. Turning it over would not just produce a crispier skin but it also ensures that meat it heated thoroughly.

Step 6

Once it is cooked the way you want it to be, you can place the wings on a cooling rack or on top of a paper towel. This way, the excess oil would be removed.

Step 7

Plate the wings, serve, and enjoy!

Saute the Wings

The difference between sauteing and frying is the amount of oil involved. Sauteing would be a better choice for those who might not want to have the same amount of oil that pan frying requires. It’s also a great choice for chicken wings that have a bit more sauce on them,

What you need:

Oil

Skillet

Tongs

Cooling rack or Paper towels

Step-by-Step Procedure

Step 1

Make sure that your wings are at room temperature before you reheat it.

Step 2

As your chicken is cooling, heat your skillet and add oil.To check if the oil is at the right temperature, you can try to put a drop of water. If smoke is produced then, it is ready.

Step 3

Saute your wings for 2 to 4 minutes. Makes sure that when you saute you are flipping the chicken over to make sure that it is cooked thoroughly. Remember to not cook the wings for too long or else the meat might get too dry.

Step 4

This step is completely optional. If you want to add more coating to your chicken you should add them while the chicken is cooking. This would make the coating stick and not fall apart while you are eating it.

Step 5

Once cooked, you can put it on a cooling rack or on paper towels just so the excess oil would be absorbed.

Step 6

Plate your chicken and dig in!

Reheating via Oven

I personally believe that using an oven is the best way to reheat your chicken. It doesn’t leave you chicken soggy or dry and you really achieve a perfect cook with ovens. However, since not everyone has an oven, it could be an issue. It also takes more time than the other methods.

What you need:

Oven

Aluminum Foil

Baking Pan

Step-by-Step Procedure

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2

As with the other steps, make sure that your chicken is at room temperature before you do anything. This would give you the best results when it comes to crispiness and the overall result.

Step 3

Once both the oven and chicken are at the right temperature, you can now start reheating. Get your baking pan and line with aluminum foil. Place your chicken on it making sure that there is enough space in between each chicken.

Step 4

Cook the chicken wings for 10-15 minutes or until it achieves the crispiness you want.

Step 5

Let it cool for 5 minutes.

Step 6

Plate it, serve, and enjoy the perfectly crispy wings.

How long can You Store Your Wings

No matter how much we like to deny it, chicken wings are not immortal and so they would get to a point when they are not edible anymore. Of course, chicken wings are usually eaten very quickly but if there are leftovers you should know until when they are safe to eat.

At room temperature, wings that are covered with a type of sauce usually gets bad pretty quickly. It may be good to eat for up to an hour. If the wings are just coated with breading or deep fried, it can stay in the serving tray for up to two hours.

Take note of these especially if you are planning to serve wings at your next party. In the refrigerator, wings can last longer since it is preserved pretty well. You can store your wings for up to four days if you put them inside your refrigerator. After four days, bacteria might start growing on the wings so it’s better to discard it.

If you want to really store your wings for a long time, you should put it in the freezer. Although this would not stop the bacterial growth completely it can keep the wings edible for up to six months. You should take note that even if it is still edible, the taste of the wings might be affected if stored for too long. Plus, who can resist wings for six months?

Conclusion

Now, with the steps above, you can finally enjoy your favorite wings as if they were freshly cooked so there’s no need to throw away those precious wings. Hope that it will benefit all of you.

If you liked what you read, please share it with your family and friends so more people can extend the life of their chicken wings. If you have other suggestions please write them down in the comments section so others would also know about it. Till next time!

Emily Mathews

Hi, I am Emily Mathews. I grew up in a small town in Tennessee, where I learned how to cook fabulous local dishes from my Mother. I have 3 children and they enable me to cook from my heart every day. I am also passionately interested in creating globally inspired food with locally grown ingredients.

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